pino palladino is my favorite bass player

[Dexter Rutecki]

There, I said it. (Truth is, I can't choose--too many out there, but IMO you sure as hell can't go wrong with Pino.)

Really I just wanted to post this video of a guy doing his best Pino impression (which is a really good one--and I love his kid wandering around in the shot):



edit: gotta say, it's also one of my favorite ballads (in part due to the bass, obviously--definite case of a cover being better than the original)

[dookeyXXX]

I have always been partial to Tony Levin, with Mike Watt, Chris Squire,
Les Claypool, Bootsy Collins, and Geddy Lee also being favorites (at least in terms of who I have seen live).

[Dexter Rutecki]

I was about to say I haven't seen any of those guys live, but as I was typing I realized I saw Primus open for Fishbone back in the day (maybe the best concert I have ever been to--funny moment during Primus's set all their fans are doing the 'Primus sucks' chant and I look at my brother and say, "I thought they were pretty good." I think I figured it out a few minutes later.)

The thing for me about guys like Les and Geddy is that as much as I like and respect their playing I feel like you could put Pino behind just about anyone and he'd figure out how to make them sound great. I'm sure Les and Geddy could get the job done, but I just feel like Pino could drop in with anyone and instantly make you think he'd been with the band for 10 years.

[dookeyXXX]

I have to admit that I had to Google Pino...that dude has been around the block and then some!

[Ted Striker]

Mike Watt

/thread.

[FLS]

The few times I saw Pino, when he filled in for Entwistle, he was lost on me. Townsend always spoke highly of him. Maybe it was just the circumstances.

[PNWbrit]

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/....php?p=3709270

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[Dexter Rutecki]

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/....php?p=3709270

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Good find. Have to admit, I still find the notion of Noel Redding being particularly important as a bass player difficult. IMO just about any decent bass player (I'm not sure Noel had ever played bass until he auditioned for the Experience) would have been about the same in that role (Mitch Mitchell is a different story), and if you listen to Experience and other Hendrix records with Billy Cox playing I think you can hear that (in some ways I think I liked Billy Cox more). But as the story goes, Noel had the right haircut and Jimi and Chas Chandler thought he would give the band the right look. (Yes, I was a little overly obsessed with Jimi Hendrix in my younger days.)

That thread gave me a laugh when I saw that I had posted something about bass players are always the oddest members of the band and then noted that my brother is a bass player...but it's true, bass dudes are just weird (I mean, even by the standards of musicians).

I also remember a thread from even before that one (I think) in which we discussed bands fronted by bass players. I remember Buster suggested Flea--I don't remember the exact language we used, but IMO even if Flea is the most musically important in that band I'm still not sure I'd say he fronts them. Anyway, like I said, good blast from the past.

[SkiBall]

In no particular order: Les, JPJ, Cliff Burton.

[billyk]

Jaco Pastorious and Jack Casady are at the top of my list.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Jaco Pastorious and Jack Casady are at the top of my list.

Can't say Casady is one of my favorites, but if you've ever heard Jimi's version of Killing Floor from the Monterey concert Casady is playing bass. Jimi played Killing Floor a lot in concert (I have at least half a dozen versions on CD) and that particular one was particularly good (but the ones with Noel playing bass don't suffer by comparison, IMO).

I feel like most bass players will name Jaco as their top pick, or close to it in most cases.

[DeepHelmet]

As a drummer, Pino, Claypool, and Geddy Lee have always been a big deal to me. Love playing to those guys. Awesome cover Dexter, love the kid hanging around.

ETA: my current bass player takes a couple solos during our set that actually DON'T send the crowd to the bar, so I feel I'm fortunate in that respect. He loves Pino FYI

[Mike Pow]

Good Welsh boy.

Saw Paul Young live about five years ago. Still awesome.

[billyk]

Can't say Casady is one of my favorites, but if you've ever heard Jimi's version of Killing Floor from the Monterey concert Casady is playing bass. Jimi played Killing Floor a lot in concert (I have at least half a dozen versions on CD) and that particular one was particularly good (but the ones with Noel playing bass don't suffer by comparison, IMO).

I feel like most bass players will name Jaco as their top pick, or close to it in most cases.

Jack Casady stood out to me as a bass player, whereas most bass players stay in the background. He carried the Airplane at times. But mostly in the live concerts, like this one:

But I admit I’m not an expert on bass players. I just happen to like Jack.

Edit to add: learned something while looking that up. I always assumed that song was written by the Airplane, probably Balin, but no it was written by a guy named Fred Neil, who had a very interesting and influential career.

I never heard of the guy before. Bob Dylan’s first gig when he came to New York was playing backup harmonica for Fred Neil. Grace Slick called him PoohNeil, which is where the song title “Ballad of You, Me, and PoohNeil” came from. He also wrote “Everyone’s Talking” that was in Midnight Cowboy. Interesting guy.

[warthog]

Jaco is named THE BEST by most of the guys your all naming the best.

Great documentary on Jaco on Netflix. I never knew a thing about him before watching that. Most of the bassists you are all naming here appear in that movie.

[Buster Highmen]

Jack Casady stood out to me as a bass player, whereas most bass players stay in the background. He carried the Airplane at times. But mostly in the live concerts, like this one:

But I admit I’m not an expert on bass players. I just happen to like Jack.

Try 3/5 of a Mile in 10 seconds too.


Jaco is my favorite, albeit a jazz player and there's a ton of great jazz or funk players out there including Michael Henderson, Mingus, Bootsy, Larry Graham and on and on.

But in rock for me, Casady stands out, particularly among bands from the 60s. Everything from the thundersome playing with the Airplane and Hendrix to the more subtle and hidden intricacies of acoustic Hot Tuna.

[billyk]

Jaco is named THE BEST by most of the guys your all naming the best.

Great documentary on Jaco on Netflix. I never knew a thing about him before watching that. Most of the bassists you are all naming here appear in that movie.

I had Jaco at the top of my list, too. I love the stuff he did with Joni:

[Dexter Rutecki]

As a drummer, Pino, Claypool, and Geddy Lee have always been a big deal to me. Love playing to those guys. Awesome cover Dexter, love the kid hanging around.

Yeah, I enjoyed watching it a lot. I think I rewatched about six times. But I'm definitely a sucker for that kind of thing.

ETA: my current bass player takes a couple solos during our set that actually DON'T send the crowd to the bar, so I feel I'm fortunate in that respect. He loves Pino FYI

The interminable bass solo--that's what keeps 'em coming back for more!

Good Welsh boy.

Saw Paul Young live about five years ago. Still awesome.

Good for you. From what I saw of him from the 80's he surrounded himself with great talent.

Jaco is named THE BEST by most of the guys your all naming the best.

No doubt. Most bass players I knew when I was younger just idolized what the guy did, but he certainly lived a rough life. Can't go wrong with Jaco.

[iceman]

Here's somebody to check out. Just came across it. Try "Them Changes" at 6:32 first

[Woodsy]

Victor Wooten & Marcus Miller are my top 2.
This dude was underrated on the rock front
Listen to Angry Eyes, damn.
https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2014/1...am-larry-sims/

[Woodsy]

Oh, and George Porter Jr.
He is the reason the term "funky bass line" exists.
All that Dr John you heard this week?

Him

[Dexter Rutecki]

Woodsy, did you just say, 'Funky bass'?
I love that song!!



No mention of James Jamerson yet...

[Self Jupiter]

Jimmie Williams
‘’Ready’’ Freddie Washington

[SumJongGuy]

So many great bass players mentioned above. I like Bootsy and Flea for the fun factor. Stanley Clarke and Jaco for for the progressive stuff. Honorable mention to Duck Dunn for the fun blues genre. Entwhistle all day long too

[Dexter Rutecki]

Good Welsh boy.

Saw Paul Young live about five years ago. Still awesome.

So good--glad you posted that. Made me think that as good as some of the guys I've heard imitating Pino are (and like that guy above, just really really good bass players), somehow there's nothing like the real thing. I have no idea what's different, but there's something about those guys. It's like watching the WC field of men ski slalom, and then you see Marcel Hirscher. There are guys who you think are impossibly fast that no one could ever top, and then the absolute best in the world comes along.